Arka Anamika
An IIHR (Bengaluru) open-pollinated variety and one of the most trusted YVMV-resistant types — spineless, tender, dark green pods that stay soft longer, on a tall plant that yields well in the rainy season.
Quick facts
- Crop
- Bhindi (Okra)
- Type
- Open-pollinated
- Season
- All seasons
- Maturity period
- First pick ~55 days
- Seed rate
- 8 kg per hectare — the open-pollinated rate, against 2.5 kg/ha for a hybrid. Named in the Tamil Nadu guide among its recommended bhendi varieties
- Expected yield
- 12–18 t/ha
- Suitable soil
- Loam
- Disease resistance
- Resistant to yellow vein mosaic virus
- Release
- Released by ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (IIHR), Bengaluru
Actual yield depends on sowing time, soil, irrigation, weather, seed quality and crop management.
About this variety
Arka Anamika is an open-pollinated okra from ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, and one of the longest-trusted varieties bred with resistance to yellow vein mosaic virus. Its pods are spineless (no skin-irritating hairs), dark green, tender and slow to toughen, borne on a tall, branched plant that performs especially well in the kharif (rainy-season) crop where virus pressure is highest. It reaches the first pick at about 55 days.
Should you pick this variety?
Pick Arka Anamika if your main crop is the kharif one, when virus pressure peaks, and you want pods the market and the pickers both like: spineless, so no skin irritation while harvesting, dark green, tender and slow to toughen. This long-trusted ICAR-IIHR variety resists yellow vein mosaic, reaches the first pick at about 55 days and gives 12–18 t/ha on a tall, branched plant, and being open-pollinated you can save seed. Two things: its resistance does not cover enation leaf curl, and the tall plant needs proper spacing or it lodges in wind on light soil. For leaf curl too, choose Arka Abhay.
Sowing & cultivation
- Sowing timeJune–August and February
- Seed rate8 kg per hectare — the open-pollinated rate, against 2.5 kg/ha for a hybrid. Named in the Tamil Nadu guide among its recommended bhendi varieties
- Spacing45 x 30 cm. Form ridges and furrows 45 cm apart, sow three seeds per hill at 30 cm and thin to two plants after 10 days
- Sowing methodTreat the seed with Trichoderma viride at 4 g/kg or Pseudomonas fluorescens at 10 g/kg, then with 400 g Azospirillum using starch as the sticker, and shade-dry for 20 minutes before sowing
- IrrigationIrrigate at weekly intervals once the crop has germinated
- FertilizerFor an open-pollinated variety: 25 t/ha farmyard manure with 20 kg N, 50 kg P and 30 kg K per hectare as basal, and another 20 kg N/ha at 30 days after sowing. Spray 1% urea and 1% muriate of potash at 30 and 45 days (Tamil Nadu guide)
Advantages & considerations
Why farmers may choose it
- Resistant to yellow vein mosaic virus — the single biggest disease of okra
- Spineless, tender pods that stay soft longer and grade well
- Tall, branched plant that yields strongly in the rainy season
- Open-pollinated, so seed can be saved
Things to consider
- YVMV resistance does not cover enation leaf curl virus — where leaf curl is also present, choose Arka Abhay
- The tall plant needs adequate spacing and can lodge in wind on light soil
Suitable regions
States this variety is recommended for — check locally, since a state can have more than one recommended zone.
- Karnataka
- Maharashtra
- Andhra Pradesh
- Tamil Nadu
- Odisha
Picking so the pods stay tender
Arka Anamika is grown for spineless, dark green pods that stay tender longer than most, and in the rainy season that is a real advantage. But no variety stays tender if it is left on the plant: okra turns fibrous in a day or two of hot weather, and a fibrous pod snaps with a woody feel instead of a clean break.
So pick every second day once the crop starts, in the morning, and pick at the length your buyer wants rather than the biggest pod on the plant. Use a knife or scissors instead of pulling, so the stem is not torn. Taking every pod, including the ones that have gone over, keeps the plant flowering — an over-mature pod left on the plant slows the next set. Being spineless, this variety is also easier on the hands than a spiny type, which matters when the picking is daily.
Can you keep your own planting material?
This is an open-pollinated variety, so seed from a healthy crop of your own can be sown again. Keep seed only from disease-free plants, dry it properly, store it cool and dry, and bring in fresh certified seed every three to four years so the variety does not drift.
How it compares with other varieties
Every Bhindi (Okra) variety with a page on this site, side by side. The row for this page is highlighted.
| Variety | Best for | Maturity | Yield | States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arka Abhay | Fields hit by leaf curl as well as yellow vein mosaic | First pick ~50–55 days | 15–18 t/ha | Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu |
| Arka Anamikathis page | Rainy-season okra with spineless, long-tender pods | First pick ~55 days | 12–18 t/ha | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha |
| Hisar Unnat (HRB-108) | The hot, dry north-west summer crop | First pick ~50 days | 12–15 t/ha | Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh |
| Kashi Kranti (VRO-22) | Early, glossy straight pods across the eastern and central plains | First pick ~45–50 days | 15–18 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal |
| Kashi Pragati (VRO-6) | A tall, early, virus-resistant okra with 20–25 dark green pods per plant, from ICAR-IIVR | First pick in 44–46 days | Average 16 t/ha, potential 18 t/ha | Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh |
| Parbhani Kranti | A long-proven rainy-season okra for Maharashtra and nearby states | First pick ~55 days | 9–12 t/ha | Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana |
| Pusa A-4 | Long tender pods with a lighter spray load in the northern plains | First pick ~45 days | 13–16 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi |
| Pusa Sawani | A familiar pod type, only where whitefly is under firm control | First pick ~50 days | 10–15 t/ha | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal |
Tools for this crop
The numbers you need next: how much seed to buy, whether the lot germinates, what the fertilizer bill looks like and what Bhindi (Okra) is selling for.
- Seed Rate CalculatorHow much seed your Bhindi (Okra) plot needs, corrected for the germination of the lot you bought.
- Germination CalculatorTest 100 seeds from the bag before sowing and see whether the lot is fit to sow.
- Seed Variety FinderFilter every Bhindi (Okra) variety on this site by state, season, duration and soil.
- Fertilizer CalculatorTurn the NPK recommendation for Bhindi (Okra) into bags of urea, DAP and MOP for your field size.
- Crop CalendarMonth-by-month sowing, weeding, irrigation and harvest dates for Bhindi (Okra) in your state.
- Crop Profit CalculatorPut your seed, labour and input costs against the yield you expect from this variety.
- Mandi Price CheckerToday's Bhindi (Okra) rate in your nearest mandi, before you fix a price with a trader.
Subsidy and government support
Schemes that help with the cost of Bhindi (Okra) seed or planting material. Rules and the application route are on each scheme page.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a spineless pod matter?
Okra pods with fine hairs irritate the skin, so picking goes slower and labour is harder to find and costs more. A spineless variety like Arka Anamika is picked faster and with fewer complaints, and the pods also handle better in the crate.
How far apart should I plant such a tall variety?
Give it more room than a short variety — the plant is tall and branched, and crowding it costs pods and invites lodging in wind on light soil. Follow your KVK's spacing for the kharif crop, and earth up around the base if the plot is sandy and windy.
Arka Anamika or Pusa Sawani?
Arka Anamika, in nearly every case. Pusa Sawani was released as YVMV-resistant but that resistance has broken down across most okra areas, so it now depends on heavy whitefly control. Arka Anamika's resistance still holds and the pods are spineless as well.
When should I sow Arka Anamika, and how often should I irrigate?
June–August or February, with weekly irrigation once the crop has germinated. In the rainy-season sowing, make sure water drains away rather than standing around the stem, because okra roots will not take a waterlogged bed.
What yield does Arka Anamika give, and when is the first pick?
12–18 t/ha, with the first pick around 55 days. That is a few days later than Kashi Kranti at 45–50 days. What you get for the wait is the long, tender, spineless pod that pickers and buyers both prefer.
Sourced from: Crop Production Guide (Horticulture), TNAU and Department of Horticulture, Tamil Nadu: bhendi seed rate for varieties and hybrids, spacing and thinning, season, seed treatment, irrigation and fertiliser. editorial policy.